SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’ video pays homage to Tarantino’s 2003 revenge classic

Singer-songwriter Solána Imani Rowe, known by her stage name SZA, released the music video for her new single “Kill Bill” on Wednesday. Directed by Christian Breslauer, previously known for his music videos for artists such as Doja Cat and The Weeknd, the video explicates references Quentin Tarantino’s eponymous 2003 martial arts revenge thriller of the same name, which starred Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo, a former assassin who embarks on a mission to exact revenge on her ex-lover and mentor Bill, played by David Carradine of Kung Fu-fame.

SZA creates a short version of events and the video shows her. Kill Bill Vol. 1 Kill Bill Vol. 2After her unsuccessful assassination attempt, the singer trains in a martial arts dojo and eventually murders her ex-lover. Breslauer’s video is packed with visual nods and references to Tarantino’s film, including an animated sequence patterned after anime director Kazuto Nakazawa and studio Production I.G.’s work on Kill Bill Vol. 1Vivica A. made a brief appearance. Fox, the actor who played Vernita in the above film.

“I love Vivica A. Fox’s character. I love Lucy Liu’s character. I even love Bill because he’s super complex,” SZA told Entertainment Weekly in an interview last December before citing the film as a direct inspiration behind the video. “I feel like he doesn’t understand why he did what he did. He’s void of emotion, but he loved The Bride so much that he couldn’t stand her to be with anyone else. This was really fascinating and interesting to me. It’s a love story.”

All in all, it’s an impressive video and a loving tribute to one of Tarantino’s most iconic films. However, be warned: The last minute of the video, which features SZA dangling nude from a Shibari rope harness in a vacant dojo, is the very definition of “not safe for work.”